TED Talk Tuesday: "Build a Tower, Build a Team" – Tom Wujec

Hey Leaders

Quick question: How does your team handle pressure and collaboration when the “marshmallow” hits the top?

In this fun but powerful TED Talk, Tom Wujec uses a simple challenge — 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and a single marshmallow — to reveal how teams really work (and why kindergarteners often outperform executives!).

Big Takeaways

1️⃣ Collaboration > Competition. The best teams don’t waste time fighting for control or trying to be the “CEO of Spaghetti, Inc.” They collaborate early and often.

2️⃣ Prototype early and often. Kindergarteners succeed because they test, fail, and adjust as they go. Great leaders and teams do the same — experiment fast, learn faster.

3️⃣ Stakes change behavior. When Tom added a $10,000 prize, every team failed. Why? High pressure killed creativity. Safe environments build innovation.

4️⃣ Every project has its “marshmallow.” That one assumption that could make everything collapse if it’s not tested early. Leaders surface those assumptions before it’s too late.

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